Cardiomyopathy
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The Irish wolfhound is a relatively healthy breed of dog, but is occasionally affected by heart disease. There are different heart problems that may affect the Irish wolfhound, but the most common heart disorder is dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Until recently, many Irish wolfhounds (as well as other dogs) died because there just wasn't enough research available for a local vet to correctly diagnose the problem as DCM. DCM is now much better known, so veterinarians will usually run tests to rule out this disorder, especially in breeds that are prone to developing DCM, such as the Irish wolfhound. [...]
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Among the many diseases that can strike the human and canine heart is a disease of the heart muscle itself. Dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM, causes the walls of the heart's four chambers to become enlarged and thus not function properly, and it usually is found in larger breeds of dog. [...]
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There are many types of heart disease that can affect your dog, and one of the more serious of these is a condition known as cardiomyopathy. There are several types of this fatal disease, and they are a major cause of irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), congestive heart failure and sudden death. The two most common include a condition known as arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) and a second known as idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM. In many cases, the dog will develop ACM first, and then the condition will develop into DCM.
The term cardiomyopathy literally translates to "sick heart muscle." It occurs when the walls of the heart muscle become thin, weak and unable to contract properly. The left side of the heart is normally affected the most, but both sides can become enlarged. [...]
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Feline Cardiomyopathy is a disease that affects the heart muscle. There are three forms of Cardiomyopathy.
[-]In Restrictive cardiomyopathy the heart fails to adequately pump blood due to scar tissue found on the heart muscle.[/-]
[-]In Hypertonic cardiomyopathy the hearts does not pump blood properly due to a thickening of the heart walls.[/-]
[-]In Dilated cardiomyopathy the walls of the heart swell to such an extent that the heart becomes enlarged and changes shape; it takes on a rounded shape, while the walls of the heart are severely are weakened because of it.[/-]
In all three forms, cats will suffer from improper oxygen distribution and eventually this disease will lead to death by heart attack. [...]
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The heart is organ responsible for pumping blood and distributing oxygen to the body's tissues. The right side of the heart pumps out blood which travels to the lungs and becomes oxygenated while the left side receives blood (already having oxygen from the lungs) and pumps it back into the aorta chamber of the heart. The pumping chambers of the heart are called ventricles.
Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a disease where the heart muscle of the left ventricle thickens (hypertrophy). The interior of the left ventricle may get smaller and less blood can be accumulated because of it. If the ventricle walls stiffen and contract, they will impair the heart's ability to fill with blood. During the diastole (relaxation period), if the ventricle cannot sufficiently relax, a build up of blood will occur causing the backup in the blood vessels of the lungs. [...]
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There are many different heart conditions that can occur in dogs. Some conditions such as cardiomyopathy are common in a wide variety of breeds while other conditions such as mitral valve problems are more specific to particular breeds.
Heart conditions are very difficult to diagnose as often the symptoms are rather subtle initially and the owner's often attribute the lack of energy and alertness typical of many of the conditions to be a natural function of aging. Since most heart conditions occur in older or middle age dogs this is perfectly normal presumption that often leads to the condition being too advanced for effective treatment once the condition has been diagnoses.
Common heart conditions and their causes, symptoms and treatments are listed below: [...]
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Cardiomyopathy
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